The acceptance and popularity of the liquid formulations as compared to the more conventional powder products stems from the convenience and performance of the liquid products. However, even the best of the currently available liquid formulations still suffer from two major problems, product phase instability and bottle residue, and to some extent cup leakage from the dispenser cup of the automatic dishwashing machine.
Representative of the relevant patent art in this area, mention is made of Rek, U.S. Pat. No. 4,556,504; Bush, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,736; Ulrich, U.S. Pat. No. 4,431,559; Sabatelli, U.S. Pat. No. 4,147,650; Paucot, U.S. Pat. No. 4,079,015; Leikhem, U.S. Pat. No. 4,116,849; Milora, U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,332; Jones, U.S. Pat. No. 4,597,889; Heile, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,908; Laitem, U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,748; Sabatelli, U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,455; Hynam, U.S. Pat. No. 3,684,722. Other patents relating to thickened detergent compositions include U.S. Pat. No. 3,985,668; U.K. Patent Applications GB 2,116,199A and GB 240,450A; U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,487; U.S. Pat. No. 4,752,409 (Drapier, et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,801,395 (Drapier, et al.). Commonly assigned patents include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,836,946; 4,857,226; 4,968,445; 4,968,446 and 4,970,016. Commonly assigned applications include Ser. No. 204,476 filed Jun. 8, 1988, now abandoned and Ser. No. 328,716 filed Mar. 27, 1989, now abandoned.
The present invention provides a solution to the above problems.